Mauritania Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in mauritania, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Mauritania has a population of 4.8 million people, of which 1.9 million are internet users, making the penetration rate 41 percent, a growth of 17 percent since 2017.  Mobile telephone services, in contrast, have a penetration rate of over 110 percent as some, mostly urban, Mauritanians have multiple cellular phones.  In 2017, 41 percent of the population had access to 3G coverage, while 4G was nonexistent.  In 2021, mobile operators started rolling out 4G network in urban areas.  There are government plans to upgrade to 5G, but there are no details or timeline for this effort.  According to the Ministry of Digital Transformation, Innovation, and Modernization of Administration, the 4,000-kilometer fiber optic line that was completed in 2021 will eventually reduce the cost of internet services by 50 percent for fixed lines and 25 percent for mobile and encourage new market entry.  It will also increase internet penetration to 70 percent.  The capacities available to users have also increased from 54 gigabits per second (Gbps) in 2019 to more than 80 Gbps. 

E-commerce in Mauritania takes a unique approach compared to conventional platforms like Amazon or other websites. Instead, it predominantly operates through the WhatsApp application.  Local vendors and boutiques maintain WhatsApp accounts, where they showcase product images and provide detailed information. Transactions are facilitated through e-banking applications, with Bankily (exclusive product of the Banque Nationale de Mauritanie – local commercial bank) and Masrivi (exclusive product of Banque Mauritanienne du Commerce International – local commercial bank) being the primary contenders.  Notably, Bankily enjoys greater popularity among clients. Bankily, which serves as the e-banking platform for BPM bank, recently forged strategic agreements with international financial entities, including Orange money in Europe and Remitly in the United States and Canada. These partnerships enable seamless money transfers from European, American, and Canadian bank accounts directly into Bankily accounts, enhancing the convenience of e-commerce in Mauritania.
 

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

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The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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